Barry Ferguson was a fierce competitor during his playing days at Rangers.
And the interim Ibrox manager has promised to get his point across from the dugout too as he looks to jolt this stuttering Rangers team into life.
The Rangers manager’s feisty attitude as a player was referenced by Steven Naismith, who admitted Ferguson’s unique charm helped him progress as a footballer.
But can the famously aggressive former Rangers captain’s style make an impact in a dressing room out of sorts and low on confidence?
Barry Ferguson promises a ‘clip around the ear’
Speaking to the press for the first time since being appointed Rangers boss, Barry Ferguson admitted he won’t be afraid to give out a ‘clip around the ear’ to anyone who needs it.
That’s even if the former Rangers captain understands football has changed since his days marauding around the Ibrox turf.
Dressing room discontent has been a feature of Rangers in recent weeks, with Ibrox fans unhappy at Todd Cantwell tagging club captain James Tavernier to gloat at Clement’s demise.
There’s a feeling that when it comes to some players, Rangers managers of old have been too soft but there’s no risk of that happening with Ferguson.
That’s even if Ferguson has backed Tavernier as Rangers captain.
“I know the way football operates nowadays, some players need an arm round about them,” explained Ferguson after his first training session.
”Some maybe need a wee clip round about the ear. I’ll suss out who needs that. But what I will say is, the response I got today was the response that I wanted driving in this morning.”
Rangers team ‘clearly low on confidence’
A lack of confidence has become apparent in the Rangers squad in recent weeks, Philippe Clement pointing to ‘nerves’ in the 2-0 Ibrox defeat to St Mirren.
The less said about the shock 1-0 defeat to Queen’s Park, the better.
Ferguson has brought together a team of former Rangers stars and has been clear it’s about raising both the standards and the mood inside Auchenhowie.
Barry watched the players come up short in both games and understands that it’s a group of players who are ‘clearly low on confidence’.
“I was at both games,” said Barry. “I could see it.
“It’s clearly that it’s a group of players that are low in confidence, but my job today was trying to pick that up a bit. And I certainly got a response. My coaching staff certainly got a response.
“When I was driving in this morning at seven o’clock, that was my thought process. I need to get a kick out of these guys. They need to give me a reaction. And they certainly gave me a reaction this morning.
“I couldn’t ask for any more of them. Now they’ll go away. We’ll meet up tomorrow and then we’ll see where it takes us. But I’m confident I will get a rise out of them.”
